Need some advice...

[ldrew7]

Ok so I have read a bunch of stuff on how timothy hay should look and feel but I am not sure if the new hay I bought is good. When I first got my 3 boys I bought a large bag of hay from the pet store. It was Zupreem brand and I read that that was not good for them and I should buy Oxbow. So they finally finished the Zupreem after a week and I bought the Oxbow brand. But it is really different from the Zupreem. This Oxbow has longer strands, is a lighter green, and also is harder than Zupreem. When we first gave this to them they didn't want to touch it but they eventually warmed up to it but are not eating it like crazy like they did the Zupreem. I just want to make sure I should continue to give them Oxbow or go back to Zupreem. They seem to like the other one much better. I also read that you should check the date on hay to make sure it is fresh but I couldn't find a date on the bag. I'm enclosing a picture of the Oxbow hay to possibly help with this dilemma. Thanks for any feedback!

[Zuidy]

I don't feed my pets store-bought hay at all anymore.

No hay, IMO, matches with KMS Hayloft, Grass Hays & Fortified Feeds From the Valleys of the Pacific Northwest products.

[britgal98579]

I am interested in the answer to this question too. I recently switched from Sunaturals Timothy hay to Oxbow. The Oxbow hay is so long, however my piggy doesn't seem to mind it.

[Sl and S]

i go to feed stores and get my hay by the bale.

[bpatters]

The quality of hay can vary widely from one supplier to another, from one part of the country to another, from one part of the growing season to another. What is fine from Oxbow and bad from Zupreem right now may be totally switched when the fall crops come in.

Timothy hay is pretty much timothy hay is pretty much timothy hay. I've had excellent consistency in quality from KM, but others should be fine, except for that really dry stuff you usually get in small packages from the pet stores.

[ldrew7]

I guess my main question is what is good hay supposed to look like and feel like? I think I'm going to switch back to the zupreem brand or at least look for a better quality hay that they will enjoy.

[bpatters]

More green than brown, long strands, dry. Zupreem is not really a high quality food of any kind.

[ldrew7]

Ok so I have ordered pellets and hay from KMS hayloft. They should be here by Saturday. I hope they really like them. Thanks for the feedback. In the meantime, I am feeding the Zupreem because they will not eat the Oxbow. They even pooped and peed in it even thought it was in a plastic bin. They don't pee in the Zupreem and eat it like crazy being in the same plastic bin.

[cavy_jdas]

More green than brown, long strands, dry.

And soft to the touch... you should be able to grab a bunch and scrunch it in your hand without being poked. And it should smell fragrant.

[ldrew7]

Yeah see the oxbow was nothing like that but the zupreem is everything like that.